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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kick · cue · staff · spring · swing · race

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. staff — employees
  3. spring — of water
  4. race — the arms race
  5. staff — employees
  6. race — a contest
  7. cue — for pool
  8. swing — in golf
  9. kick — in football
  10. cue — a hint
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. swing — to play on
  13. staff — a stick
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. spring — a coil
  16. race — humankind
  17. swing — music
  18. spring — the season

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com